The endothelium, in traversing each and every organ, establishes a dialogue that is unique to the underlying tissue. The endothelial-tissue interface plays an important role not only in maintaining health of the organism, but also in dictating the focal nature of vascular disease states. Viewed from this perspective, the endothelium transcends all clinical disciplines. While twenty years ago, one was hard pressed to identify a single disease in which the endothelium played a prominent role, today, it may be argued that virtually every disease involves the endothelium, either as a primary determinant of disease or as a victim of collateral damage. At the present time, the field is lacking a formal venue for interdisciplinary interactions. To overcome this limitation, we have initiated a new Gordon Research Conference (GRC), entitled: "Endothelial Cell Phenotypes in Health and Disease". The inaugural conference will be held at Proctor Academy, NH, August 22-27, 2004. The overall goal of this conference is to bring together scientists from diverse fields with a common interest in understanding the role of endothelial cell phenotypes in health and disease. The fields include Darwinian medicine, history of medicine, non-linear dynamics, genomics, proteomics, hematology, oncology, pulmonary, cardiology, developmental biology, dermatology, placental biology, gastroenterology, neurosciences nephrology, transplant biology, stem cell biology and diabetes. The aims of this conference are to: 1) provide a forum for direct and intense discussion in a vital and emerging area, 2) discuss the mechanisms that mediate phenotypic heterogeneity of the endothelium, 3) apply these considerations to an understanding of vascular disease states, and 4) encourage new avenues of research and development. This R13 application is a request for partial funding of the first GRC on Endothelial Cell Phenotypes in Health and Disease in 2004.